Bell attachment for banjos or guitars



(No Model.)

A.B. KOBNIG 8: J. B. VAN CLEVE.

- BBLLATTAOHMENT FOR BANJOS 0R GUITARS.- No. 416,064. A Patented Nov. 26, 1889.

N PETER; Phmumgnpher, wmfngwn. u4 c.

4UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ANDREV B. KOENIG AND JOSEPH B. VAN (ELEVE, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

BELL ATTACHMENT FOR BANJOS OR GUITARS.

'SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 416,064, dated November 26, 1889.

Application filed May 6, 1889. Serial No.309,730. (No model.)

' To alla/71,077?, it may concern.-

cured to the attachment-plate by the screws Be it known that we, ANDREW B. KOENIG 9; the hammer 10; the spring-plate 11, from j and JOSEPH B. VAN OLEVE, both of the city which said hammer projects, and with which of St. Louis, in the State of Missouri, have init is integral; the recoil bow-spring 12, that r vented a certain new and useful Improveactuates said hammer to strike the bell, the 55 ment in Bell Attachments for Banjos, Guilooped-fast end of which spring is secured to tars, or Similar Instruments, of which the said attachment-plate by the screw 1S; the

following is a full, clear, and exact descripbracket 1e, secured to said attachment-plate tion, reference being had to the accompanying by the screw 15, there being provided a slot- 10 drawings, forming part of this specification. way 1G between said bracket and said attach- 6o This invention relates to an attachment ment-plate, in which slotway said spring 10 for banjos, guitars, or similar instruments to works; the pendent spring-boxing 17, which provideabell accompaniment; andthe invenalso is secured to said attachment-plate,

tion consists in features of novelty hereinafand within which spring-boxing works the v ter fully described, and pointed out in the sliding` gate; T-head 1S, with its spring- 65 claims. bearer stem 10, that carries the spiral spring Figurel is abottom View of the bell attach- 20, and the rear terminal of which stem ment secured to the head, with detail of the works in the perforate slide-bearing 21 in the 'neck of a banjo or guitar. Fig. II is a horirear end of the spring-boxing; the actuating- 2o zontal section taken ou the staggered line II rod 22, that works said T-spring bearer; the 7o III, FiglV, and shows the trip-hammer and trigger 23, its crank-shaft 24, the crank of trigger-trip in their normal position. Eig. III which works in the rear terminal loop 25 of is a like view taken on the same line, and the actuating-rod 22, and the journals of which shows the trip-hammer drawn back by the crank-shaft have bearings 26 in the lugs 27,

25 dog-trigger preparatory to striking. Fig. IV that project from said attachment-plate, and 75 is a side view of the head,with a detail ofthe the branch trip-rod 2S, which forks from the neck of abanjo or guitar to which the bell actuating-rod 22 and carries at its forward attachment is secured, showing the operative terminal the trip-dog 29, that works in the v parts in their normal position before the slot 50 in the spring-plate 11, the recessed 3o pressure of the trip-trigger. Fig. V is an end notch or clutch 31 in which dog embraces said So view of the head of the instrument with its spring-plate to actuate the same when it is bell attachment in section, and shows the desired to ring the bell. These above-menspring-plate that carries the hammer and the tioned parts, all and several indicated after trip-dog that operates said plate; and Fig. VI the mention. of the attachment-plate 5, are car- 3 5 is a vertical section taken on line VI VI, Fig. ried by said attachment-plate, and are with 85 III, and shows the action of the trip-dog as it it attachable to the head or neck bar of any releases the spring-plate which carries the banjo, guitar, or other musical instrument, or hammer. to other convenient part thereof, by the inser- Referring to the drawings, 1 represents the tion of the screws 6. Abevel-edge slide 32 on 4o neck or hand-bar of a banjo, guitar, or other the rear of the trip-dog 29 rides on the bevel- 9o musical instrument; 2, the head that surtrackway 33, provided on the forward end of mounts or constitutes the outer terminal of the spring-housing, and thus lifts the trip-dog the same, and 3 are the tension-string pegs, from its embrace of the spring-plate that carwhich are inserted and work in the journalries the hammer, when, by the action of the seats 4 in said head. trigger, the hammer has been retired to a 95 5 represents the attachment-plate, which point atwhichit has attained sufficient spring is secured to said head by the screws G, and impulse to strike the bell with abundant force l which attachment-plate carries the following after its release. t f numerous parts: The bell 7; the pedestal S, 34 represent a forward bevel-edge on the 5o that supports said bell, which pedestal is senose of the trip-dog, which, when the hammer roo approaches its strike, again liftsy the dog 29 in the'slot 30 until the notch registers with the spring-plate, on which it then drops and holds it captive until the trip-trigger is again Worked. The terminal screw 35 on the end of the pedestal S seats the bell through the perforation 3G, in the center ofwhich said screw is passed, and said bell is there held by the disk hand-screw 37. Y Te have represented the bell attachment as secured to the head at the terminal of the neck of abanjo, guitar, or other such like musical instrument, being nestled in among the string-adjustingpegs, as when used on that class of string-instruments that is the most convenientposition for working the trigger to ring the bell by the `hand which is not playing with the strings;

but the attachment may be placed in any `other suitable position on the instrument that 'the' musician may desire, or on any other class =`the instrument a slight pressure of the thumb onsaid trip-trigger through its crank-connection simultaneously draws both the rod 22, that actuates the sliding gate-head 18 and contracts the spiral spring on its stem-bearer, and at the same time, by means of the trip-rod 28 and the trip-dog 29, the spring-plate ll, and the ham mer, integral therewith, is drawn back, the bow-spring l2 being also thereby contracted, as well as the spiral spring 20, until the beveledge 32 at the rear end of the dog has, with said dog, been lifted by the inclined trackway 33 on the end of the spring-housing, so as to release the clutch-hold of lsaid dog on said springplate 1l and the bell -hammer it ca-rries,

lwhereon the united action of the` spiral and bow spring quickly projects the hammer forward to ring the bell, and at the same time thebevel-nose 84 of the dog, sliding forward on the inner edge of the slot 30 in the springplate ll, again lifts the dog until the recessed clutch registers with said spring hammerplate and engages therewith, ready for the renewed action of the trigger, which by the said action of the springs has been again projected, the light pressure of the thumb thereon having been in a measure relaxed by they musician in responsive and simultaneous action with that of the springs and the hammer that they project. Although the thu-mb in the reactionary movement relaxes its pressure on the trigger, as stated, yet it is in continuous contact therewith, and it is almost without an efforton the part of the musician that the action of the one hand becomes responsive to that of the-'"other, or in simultaneous accord therewith, and rings up the accompaniment. Vith the musician who loves his art, as all true musicians do, it is easier far for both hands to act in unison and in harmony together.

lVhile this bell accompaniment is pleasing in conjunction with all classes of musical instruments, it is especially so with stringed intruments, with which-the sonorons and yet clear metallic sounds of the bell seem to provide all that is lacking to effect a perfect harmony amid the softer intonations of the stringed instruments they accompany.

lVe have shown a certain system of springs for actuating the bell-hammer and trigger trip-dog for starting the same; but we do not confine ourselves to that especial' construction of the actuating system, for when attached to some classes of musical instruments a change in the construction and disposition of `the springs andin the means of tripping the same may be advantageously adopted without departing from the essential features of the invention.

The attachment, besides the musical accompaniment that it provides, also improves the appearance of theinstrument.

rl`he bell, being played by the thumb only of the left-hand, does not interfere in any way -with the work of the fingers on the strings and finger-board.

XVe claim as our inventionl. The combination of the attachment-plate 5, the pedestal 8, the bell 7, seated on said pedestal, the trigger-trip, and the springactuated hammer that rings the bell, substantially as described, and for the purpose set forth.

2. The combination of the attach ment-plate, the pedestal, the bell seated on said pedestal, the bow-spring l2, the spring-plate l1 at the loose terminal of said spring, the bell-hammer integral with and carried by said plate, the said plate being provided with a slot 30, the crank trip-trigger 23, the actuating-rod 22, the branch trip-rod 28,-and the trip-dog 29, that is seated in the slot 30 of the spring-hammer plate l1, and whose recessed notch 3l clutches said plate when the hammer is drawn back by the trip-trigger preparatory to its spring propulsion against the bell, substantially as described, and for the purpose set forth.

3. The combination of the attachment-plate, the pedestal secured to said plate, the bell seated on said pedestal, the bow-spring 12, the spring-plate at the loose terminal of said bowspring, the said plate being provided with an open slot 30, the spring-boxing 17, the T-head sliding gate 18, the spring-bearer stem integral with said gate, the spiral spring 20, carried on said stem, the crank trip-trigger, the actuating-rod 22, that connects from said trip-trigger with said T-head sliding gate to operate the same, the branch trip-rod 2S, integral with said rod 22, the trip-dog 29 at IOO IIO

the forward terminal of Jche rod 22, which l trip of the spring-hmnmer, Substantially as dog Works in the slot 30 of the spring-plate and for the purpose set forth. l111, and. its recess-clutch 31 When operative ANDREWV B KOENIG fenofaoes said sprmwplate the rear and for- 7 7 5 Wazcrdb bevel-edges 302 and 2234 of the trip-dog, JOSEPH B X AN CLE E' and the inclined track on the forward end of In presence ofthe spring-housing, up which the bevel-edge BENJN. A. KNIGHT, 32 of the trip-dog rides to effect the trigger- SAML. KNIGHT. 

